Apparatus for Forming Instructional Figures

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for forming instructional figures is disclosed. The apparatus includes a plurality of building blocks and a board. The plurality of building blocks has a predefined shape. The board has a plurality of spikes on a surface and holes surrounded by the plurality of spikes. The plurality of building blocks is mountable over the plurality of spikes to form the instructional figure.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is related to provisional patent application Ser. No. 62132552, filed on Mar. 17, 2015, and titled “AN APPARATUS FOR CREATING INSTRUCTIONAL FIGURES”. The entire disclosure of the above patent application is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to building block toys, more specifically, the present disclosure relates to building blocks and an apparatus for forming instructional figures by using the building blocks.

BACKGROUND

Generally, building block toys include cubical blocks or complex geometric shapes having designs made thereon. The designs may be as letters, numbers, animals, and the like. Building block toys are considered to be one of the most effective instruments for developing a child's mental ability.

The building block toys have various interlocking building blocks to form a structure that can have infinite structural forms. Many of these building block toys have complex interconnecting means, in the form of slotted pegs, metal screws, and the like which prove to be difficult for a child to join together. This may lead a person specially a child to stop playing with such intricate educational building blocks due its non-ease of use; and possibly tamper the child's imaginative, dexterous and organizational development of his/her physiological skills.

Hence, there is a need for improved building blocks which can be joined together in an easier manner and that enable creating various shapes and figures.

SUMMARY

It will be understood that this disclosure in not limited to the particular systems, and methodologies described, as there can be multiple possible embodiments of the present disclosure which are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, an apparatus for forming instructional figures is provided. The apparatus includes a plurality of building blocks and a board. The plurality of building blocks has a predefined shape. The board has a plurality of spikes on a surface and holes surrounded by the plurality of spikes. The plurality of building blocks is mountable over the plurality of spikes to form the instructional figure.

In another embodiment, a method for forming an instructional figure is provided. A plurality of building blocks is mounted over spikes of a board in a predefined arrangement. An aqueous liquid is applied over the plurality of building blocks. The aqueous liquid is dried for creating bonds between proximate building blocks. The plurality of building blocks is removed using a removing tool without breaking the bonds between the proximate building blocks to form the instructional figure.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features, and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a building block, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 2 illustrates a board on which the building blocks can be fixed, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 3 illustrates the board on which the building blocks are fixed for creating an instructional figure, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example removing tool for removing the instructional figure fixed over the board, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 5 illustrates various figures created by bonding the building blocks, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart for creating instructional figures utilizing the building blocks, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like elements throughout the several figures, and in which example embodiments are shown. Embodiments of the claims may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The examples set forth herein are non-limiting examples and are merely examples among other possible examples.

Some embodiments of this disclosure, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,” and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although any systems and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present disclosure, the preferred, systems and methods are now described.

FIG. 1 illustrates a building block 100 also referred to as a bead, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. According to the present embodiment, the building block 100 is a hollow cylinder, however, the building block 100 may be of any three dimensional shape/geometry. The building block 100 includes an upper face 102, a lower face 104, an inner surface 106, and a lateral surface 108. The upper face 102 and lower face 104 are opposite to each other. The hollow cylinder may include a through hole which has an opening at upper face 102 and other opening at the lower face 104. The inner surface 106 is the inner surface of the hollow cylinder. In an aspect, the building block 100 may include a separate surface made up of a material different from the building block 100 and may be positioned over the inner surface 106.

FIG. 2 illustrates a board 200 also referred to as pinboard on which the building blocks 100 can be fixed. The board 200 includes a plurality of spikes 202 and a plurality of holes 204 over a surface 206. The board 200 is designed such that a user can fix the building blocks 100 over the board 200. The building blocks 100 are fixed by inserting a spike 200 into hollow area of the building blocks 100. In an aspect, the board 200 is made up of a material that is hydrophobic and does not have an affinity to the material of the building blocks 100.

FIG. 3 illustrates the board 200 on which the building blocks 100 are fixed for creating an instructional figure. The building blocks 100 are fixed to the spikes 202 of the board 200 to create an instructional figure based on the creativity of the user. The building blocks 100 are fixed by inserting a spike 202 into the hollow area of the building block 100. The building blocks 100 are fixed over a spike 202 such that each building block 100 touches at least one other building block 100. After fixing the building blocks 100 over the spikes 202, an aqueous liquid, such as water, is applied on the surfaces of the building blocks 100. For example, a brush or an applicator may be used for applying the aqueous liquid on the building blocks 100. The aqueous liquid creates an adhesive bonding between the building blocks 100. In other words, the building blocks can be firmly glued using the aqueous liquid. In an example, the building blocks 100 may be made up of 80% to 85% of Polyvinyl alcohol, 10% to 15% of Glycerine, 1% to 2% of Propylene glycol, and 1%-2% of one or more catalysts for speeding up the drying process after the application of the aqueous liquid. The building blocks 100 are constructed such that each building block is configured for creating a bond with other building blocks upon application of the aqueous liquid.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example removing tool for removing the instructional figure fixed over the board 200. Once the instructional figure has been fixed and a bond has been created between the building blocks 100 that are in contact with each other, the instructional figure is required to be safely removed from the board 200. This can be done by means of a removing tool, such as the removing plate 402 as illustrated in the FIG. 4. The removing plate 402 separates the instructional figure from the board 200 on which the instructional figure is fixed. The instructional figure is removed without breaking the bond between the plurality of building blocks 100. The removing plate 402 includes a plurality of holes and spikes such that each hole of the removing plate 402 corresponds to the spikes 202 of the board 200 and each spike of the removing plate 402 corresponds to the holes 204 of the board 200. For removing the instructional figure from the board 200, a pressure is exerted on the removing plate 402. Due to the exerted pressure, the spikes of the removing plate 402 enter inside the holes 204 of the board 200 and pushing the building blocks to disengage the instructional figure from the board 200.

FIG. 5 illustrates various instructional FIGS. 502A, 502B, 502C, 502D, 502E, and 502F created by bonding the plurality of building blocks 100. These instructional FIGS. 502A, 502B, 502C, 502D, 502E, and 502F may be created based on the ingenuity of a user. The instructional figures may include geometric shapes, alphabets, numerals and the like.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart 600 for creating instructional figures utilizing the building blocks. At step 602, building blocks are mounted over spikes of a board in a predefined arrangement. The building blocks may be removably mounted by inserting the spikes of the board through the hole present in the building block. At step 604, an aqueous liquid, such as water, is applied over the building blocks. The aqueous liquid may be applied on any of the surface of the building block such that the lateral surfaces of the building blocks that are in contact with proximate building blocks may receive the aqueous liquid. At step 606, the aqueous liquid is dried for creating bonds between proximate building blocks. For example, the aqueous liquid may be dried by leaving the building blocks applied with the aqueous liquid for a pre-determined time period. Upon leaving the building blocks in their respective position an adhesive bond is created between the building blocks that are in direct contact with each other due to the presence of the aqueous liquid on the lateral surfaces of the building blocks. Once, the bonds have been made and the figure is in a desired condition, then at step 608, the building blocks may be removed from the spikes of the board. using a removing tool without breaking the bonds between the proximate building blocks, thereby forming the instructional figure which is a combination of the building blocks.

It will finally be understood that the disclosed embodiments are presently preferred examples of how to make and use the claimed disclosure, and are intended to be explanatory rather than limiting of the scope of the disclosure as defined by the claims below. Reasonable variations and modifications of the illustrated examples in the foregoing written specification and drawings are possible without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined in the claim below. It should further be understood that to the extent the term “disclosure” is used in the written specification, it is not to be construed as a limited term as to number of claimed or disclosed disclosures or the scope of any such disclosure, but as a term which has long been conveniently and widely used to describe new and useful improvements in technology The scope of the disclosure supported by the above disclosure should accordingly be construed within the scope of what it teaches and suggests to those skilled in the art, and within the scope of any claims that the above disclosure supports. The scope of the disclosure is accordingly defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for creating an instructional figure, comprising: a plurality of building blocks having a predefined shape; and a board having a plurality of spikes on a surface and holes surrounded by the plurality of spikes, wherein the plurality of building blocks is mountable over the plurality of spikes to form the instructional figure.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of building blocks is configured to create a bond with proximate building blocks upon application of an aqueous liquid.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of building blocks has composition of at least 80% to 85% of Polyvinyl alcohol, 10% to 15% of Glycerine, 1% to 2% of Propylene glycol.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of building blocks further has composition of 1%-2% of one or more catalysts for enhancing drying process after the application of the aqueous liquid.
 5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the aqueous liquid is water.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a removing tool for removing the instructional figure formed on the board.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the removing tool is a removing plate having a plurality of holes and spikes surrounding the holes such that each hole of the removing plate corresponds to the spikes of the board and each spike of the removing plate corresponds to the holes of the board when the removing plate is in operation.
 8. A method for forming an instructional figure, the method comprising: mounting a plurality of building blocks over spikes of a board in a predefined arrangement; applying an aqueous liquid over the plurality of building blocks; drying the aqueous liquid for creating bonds between proximate building blocks; and removing the plurality of building blocks using a removing tool without breaking the bonds between the proximate building blocks to form the instructional figure.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the drying the aqueous liquid comprises: leaving the plurality of building blocks applied with the aqueous liquid for a predetermined amount of time to create bonds between the proximate building blocks.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the aqueous liquid is water.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of building blocks has composition of at least 80% to 85% of Polyvinyl alcohol, 10% to 15% of Glycerine, 1% to 2% of Propylene glycol.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of building blocks further has composition of 1%-2% of one or more catalysts for enhancing drying process after the application of the aqueous liquid.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the removing toolwherein the removing tool is a removing plate having a plurality of holes and spikes surrounding the holes such that each hole of the removing plate corresponds to the spikes of the board and each spike of the removing plate corresponds to the holes of the board when the removing plate is in operation. 